Navratri Recipes – In this post, you will find a compiled list of Navratri fasting or vrat recipes that are made during the Navratri Festival. Or you can browse the complete collection of Vrat Recipes here. Sharad Navratri begins on 07 October 2021 and ends on 15 October 2021.
Navratri Festival
Navratri is one of the most celebrated festival in my home. As a devi-bhakt, I spend these 9 days in the worship of the Goddess. Not only these 9 days, but for me not a single day goes without remembering the Mother Goddess.
Navratri festival is celebrated all over India. The method and ways of celebrating is different and unique in each part of India.
In North and Western India, 9 days fasting or vrat is kept during the Navratri festival. In Bengal and other parts of Eastern India, Durga Puja is celebrated with much fanfare.
Navratri is also celebrated in South India. Fasting is not strictly observed here but food is made without the addition of onion and garlic. People do worship the deities and make sundals or sweet recipes to offer as prasadam. Golu which is a lovely display of deities idols, dolls and animal figures is set up in many homes during the festival.
Navratri Fasting
In India, fasting rules varies from community to community. It is always better to check with your family members before deciding the menu. If you plan to keep fast during Navratri then do check this list of Navratri Fasting Food and Rules.
Below you will find both North Indian and South Indian recipes listed. Also mentioned towards is a list of flours and cereals consumed during the fasting period.
Most of the fasting recipes are very quick and easy to make. As many spices and herbs are not allowed during fasting days. Moreover you don’t have to chop onions, garlic etc.
Kindly skip or alter the ingredients according to your family traditions. I have also listed a few recipes which are made without onion and garlic but does include cereal flours.
In these instances, substitute the corn flour or besan (gram flour) with fasting flours like water chestnut flour (singhare ka atta), buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta) or arrow root flour or potato starch. Do remember to use sendha namak or rock salt in recipes where I have not added them.
Fasting food is not only quicker to prepare but it is also easiest to digest. A good time to purify body-mind and get connected to your inner nature and to the Mother Goddess.
In North India only certain ingredients comprising of flours and grains are consumed during the 9 days of fasting.
- Singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour)
- Kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour)
- Rajgira ka atta (amaranth flour) and rajgira (amaranth)
- Sama ke chawal ka atta (barnyard millet flour) and vrat ke chawal (barnyard millet)
- Arrowroot flour
- Sabudana or sago
- Peanuts
- Nuts & Dry fruits
- Rock salt (sendha namak)
- Spices and herbs varies from community to community. Generally, green chilles, black pepper powder, and ginger are used. You can check my compiled list of Navratri Fasting Food or Ingredients.
103 Navratri Recipes
Listed below are 103 navratri recipes ranging from meals that can be served for lunch or dinner, snacks and sweets. Some of these snacks can also be made for breakfast. Do eat light if possible and drink lots of water. If possible have fruits or fruit juices.
Lunch-Dinner
I have categorized the lunch and dinner meals in various breads or grains based dishes that you can make. I have also added a section of gravy or vegetable sides that you can accompany with a bread or a grain based dish.
Bread & Grains
Listed below are dishes that are made with grains and flours that are consumed during fasting. You will get both flat breads and well as fried breads.
Moderate
25 mins
Sabudana ki khichdi is a delicious dish of tapioca pearls (sago) made with potatoes, peanuts and usually had during Hindu fasting days like Navratri, Ekadashi, mahashivratri. It is also a gluten free recipe. In this recipe post, you will get many tips and suggestions to make the best non-sticky sabudana khichdi.
1 hr 35 mins
Samvat rice khichdi recipe – savory porridge made with barnyard millet and potatoes.
Moderate
30 mins
Buckwheat Khichdi is easy to prepare khichdi with buckwheat groats (kuttu), potatoes and peanuts for Navratri fasting. Wholesome super food.
45 mins
Vrat ke chawal ka pulao or samvat pulao is a simple and easy pulao made for fasting days.
Moderate
8 hrs 30 mins
Sabudana thalipeeth are crisp and soft pancakes made with tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes, ground peanuts and spices. They are also called as Upvasache Thalipeeth in Marathi language and can also be referred to as Sabudana roti.
Moderate
40 mins
Rajgira roti or rajgira paratha is a healthy gluten-free flatbread made with rajgira atta or amaranth flour for Hindu fasting days.
Moderate
40 mins
Kuttu ki roti or paratha are gluten free flatbreads made with buckwheat flour and mashed potatoes. These healthy flatbreads are usually made during the Navratri fasting period in India.
Difficult
50 mins
Singhare ki poori is a delicious Indian fry made with water chestnut flour, mashed potatoes, edible rock salt and a few spices.
30 mins
Kuttu ke atte ki puri are crisp and tasty Indian fry bread made with buckwheat flour for religious fasting or vrat.
50 mins
Rajgira poori or amaranth poori is fried puffed breads made from amaranth flour & boiled mashed potatoes.
25 mins
These Vrat ke uttapam are made from sama ke chawal or vrat ke chawal flour (barnyard millet flour).
Curry, Gravy and Veg Sides
30 mins
Vrat wale aloo or vrat ke aloo recipe – crumbled potato recipe for fasting without onion-garlic.
28 mins
This Dahi aloo for Navratri fasting is a light curry made from potatoes and yogurt
45 mins
Dahi arbi recipe – colocasia-taro roots in a thin yogurt gravy
15 mins
Easy and quick to prepare rajgira kadhi for Navratri fasting or upwas.
35 mins
Arbi curry or arbi masala recipe is a light North Indian curry made with colocasia or taro root.
Moderate
35 mins
Kaddu ki sabji is an easy and delicious vegan pumpkin recipe made with yellow pumpkin, whole spices and herbs. This is a satvik recipe made without onions and garlic.
20 mins
Simple and easy jeera aloo for fasting or Navratri vrat.
40 mins
Mildly spiced sweet and sour pumpkin dry curry
30 mins
Aloo tamatar ki sabzi recipe is easy lightly spiced curry made with potatoes and tomatoes.
1 hr
Crisp, fried and tasty spiced arbi recipe.
32 mins
Spiced colocasia or taro roots fry for Navratri fasting.
Breakfast or Snacks
Here I have added recipes that you can make for breakfast or snacks. Some of them are fried and for a healthier version, you can make these in an appe (paniyaram) pan or bake them.
Moderate
5 hrs 30 mins
Sabudana Vada is a popular savory deep fried snack made during Hindu fasting days, featuring tapioca pearls (sago), potatoes, peanuts and herbs. They are naturally gluten-free and vegan. This fool proof sabudana vada recipe gives you a super delicious crispy vada with a soft and light interior.
Easy
5 hrs 20 mins
Sabudana tikki also known as sabudana cutlet are pan-fried thin patties made with tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes and spices. These crispy patties make for a delicious snack that will get over in no time.
9 hrs 10 mins
Vrat ki idli recipe – idli made without rice which you can make for fasting or for regular days too.
Easy
10 mins
Healthy snack made with roasted makhana, phool makhana or foxnuts
40 mins
Farali batata vada is a delicious snack of potato vadas or potato bonda made for fasting or vrat.
Moderate
8 hrs 20 mins
These Sabudana pakora made for fasting or vrat are crisp, golden fritters made from tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes and roasted crushed peanuts.
50 mins
aloo paneer ka kofta
Punjabi aloo paneer kofta is a melt in the mouth soft texture koftas with a crisp exterior.
30 mins
Nylon sabudana chivda recipe – crispy and tasty fasting snack made from nylon sabudana & dry fruits for the Navratri fasts.
23 mins
Aloo makhana is an easy snack recipe for Navratri made with boiled potatoes, phool makhana (foxnuts) and spices.
15 mins
Sweet potato chaat is one of the easiest to prepare chaat recipe with sweet potatoes or shakarkandi.
40 mins
These are easy and simple homemade tasty banana chips made from raw unripe bananas.
40 mins
arbi tikki
Arbi patties recipe is a simple fasting recipe made with colocasia roots.
30 mins
Arbi cutlet recipe – spiced crispy pan fried arbi or colocasia roots. Vegan & gluten free recipe.
30 mins
Crisp, spiced pan fried patties made with raw unripe bananas. Navratri fasting recipe.
30 mins
Aloo chaat recipe – little spicy, tangy and crispy potato chaat.
Moderate
30 mins
Perfectly salted French Fries that are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Make these homemade french fries or finger chips recipe easily with a few techniques and customize it with your favorite herbs and spices or toppings.
Moderate
1 hr
Farali pattice is an easy snack of crispy and tasty patties made with potatoes and stuffed with a sweet filling of coconut, nuts and raisins. This dish is from the Gujarati cuisine that is made during fast or upvas.
Moderate
25 mins
Aloo tuk is a popular Sindhi snack of crispy, fried and spiced potato slices. The potato slices are double fried to make them extra crispy. This dish makes for a good tea time snack or a side dish with your favorite North Indian meal.
Easy
40 mins
These homemade baked potato chips are crisp as well as delicious.
30 mins
Vrat ke palak pakore recipe – spinach fritters made during fasting with buckwheat flour and spinach.
50 mins
Vrat ke pakore or kuttu pakoras – deep fried fritters made with buckwheat flour and mashed potatoes, roasted peanuts and dry pomegranate powder.
40 mins
Kaddu pakora or pumpkin fritters made for fasting or religious vrat.
Chutney & Raita
Both chutney and raita accompany a main course or a snack very well and can be used as a dipping or topping sauce. Listed below are chutney and raita recipes that you can make for navratri fasting.
Chutney Recipes
10 mins
A no onion no garlic coconut chutney made simple and easy with just three ingredients.
Easy
21 mins
Tamarind Dates chutney recipe for chaat snacks. Thus sweet tangy gooey chutney made with tamarind, dates and jaggery goes well with Indian chaat snacks.
5 mins
Phalahari chutney recipe is a green chutney made for fasting or vrat with coriander leaves.
Raita
20 mins
palak raita
Palak ka raita is a simple and easy recipe of lightly flavored spinach raita.
Easy
5 mins
Cucumber raita is a popular savory raita dip made with cucumber and curd (yogurt). This simple, refreshing, cooling cucumber raita recipe comes together in 5 minutes.
10 mins
Pomegranate raita is a sweet raita made with fresh pomegranates and spiced with roasted cumin powder, black pepper and chaat masala.
Easy
20 mins
Beetroot Raita is a colorful, vibrant raita or yogurt dip made with healthy beets, onions, bell pepper, carrots, spices and curd (yogurt). It pairs nicely with most Indian meals.
Sweets & Desserts
Can a meal be complete without any sweet? You will find here some easy sweets that you can make and store during the navratri festival. You can even offer these sweets to the Mother Goddess. Some of them are fruit based sweets and some are regular Indian sweets that can be had during vrat or fasting.
Kheer Recipes
Easy
35 mins
Sabudana kheer is a sweet pudding made with tapioca pearls or sabudana, milk and sugar.
Moderate
35 mins
Makhane ki kheer is a sweet dessert pudding made with Makhana (foxnuts), milk, ghee, sugar and dry fruits. This is an easy and popular sweet that is often made during Hindu fasting days.
20 mins
Rajgira kheer is a simple easy dessert pudding made with amaranth grains. Navratri recipe.
Easy
25 mins
Paneer kheer recipe is a quick and easy Indian cottage cheese kheer for the festive season. Ready in less than 25 minutes.
1 hr 30 mins
Vrat ke chawal ka kheer or samvat rice kheer is a creamy kheer made with samvat rice or barnyard millet.
30 mins
Delicious kheer made with bottle gourd or opo squash.
50 mins
Badam kheer or almond payasam is a delicious creamy kheer made with blanched almond paste, milk and saffron.
Halwa Recipes
Moderate
1 hr
Lauki halwa is also called as dudhi halwa. It is a rich Indian sweet made with bottle gourd (opo squash), milk, sugar and ghee. The method of making lauki halwa is similar to making gajar halwa. Making lauki halwa is easy but takes some time. This is a slow cooked halwa and what you get after minutes of slow cooking is super deliciousness.
Moderate
45 mins
Apple halwa recipe made with apples, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Apple halwa is a delicious halwa that is easy to make. This apple halwa does not use sooji (rava), milk, khoya or milk powder. Just apples, sugar (optional) and ghee. Flavorings and nuts of your choice can be added to the halwa.
Moderate
55 mins
Papaya halwa recipe is a vegan Indian dessert made with semi ripe papaya.
40 mins
Pumpkin halwa is a sweet pudding made with pumpkin along with cardamom, melon seeds and dry fruits.
40 mins
ash gourd halwa or kashi halwa or dumroot halwa is a delicious halwa made with ash gourd or white pumpkin.
40 mins
shakarkandi halwa recipe – delicious halwa made with boiled mashed sweet potatoes scented with cardamom and saffron.
25 mins
Swang ke chawal ka halwa or vrat ka halwa recipe – a delicious halwa made with sama ke chawal (barnyard millet) which can be had during any fasting occasion like Navratri, Ekadashi, mahashivratri and chaturthi.
30 mins
Fasting halwa recipe – a North Indian pudding made with water chestnut flour and buckwheat flour.
Ladoo Recipes
10 mins
Badam laddu are quick, easy and tasty ladoos made with almonds, jaggery and raisins.
Moderate
15 mins
Make coconut ladoo with three recipes. The first one is a quick 3 ingredient recipe made with fresh coconut, milkmaid and cardamom powder. The second recipe has 2 ingredients – desiccated coconut and condensed milk. The third recipe is made with desiccated coconut and sugar.
15 mins
Narkel naru are delicious coconut ladoos from the Bengali cuisine. These narkel naru are made with fresh grated coconut and jaggery.
Easy
20 mins
Easy Dry fruits laddu recipe without any added sugar or fats like ghee or oil. Packed with nutrients, good fats and fibre, these energy balls are made with dates, figs and various nuts. Dry fruit laddu recipe gets done quickly and comes together under 20 minutes.
Fruit Desserts
Easy
30 mins
This Delhi style tasty fruit chaat is spiced, savory, sweet and tangy. Fruit chaat is made of a mix of fresh seasonal fruits and tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Easy
15 mins
This easy summer Fruit Salad With Ice Cream is a mix of various fruits and nuts served with dollops of vanilla ice cream. Really an easy and delicious dessert recipe.
Drinks & Beverages
All fruits can be had during Navratri fasting. So you can make shakes, juices or smoothies from fruits. Milk and milk products can also be consumed during fasting.
Easy
10 mins
Lassi is a cooling, refreshing, probiotic drink perfect for the warm summer months. Popular in Punjab and North India, there are many variations of this sweet lassi recipe. Find three easy, energizing and flavorful lassi recipe variations.
Easy
35 mins
Healthy, refreshing, and energy-boosting, this dry fruit milkshake recipe is the perfect beverage to give you a quick boost throughout the day! It includes dried fruits, nuts, and plant-based milk making it a great gluten-free and vegan option.
Easy
10 mins
This banana milkshake recipe includes sweet bananas and coconut milk for a rich and creamy consistency that everyone (especially kids) will love. Plus we add a bit of vanilla and cinnamon for an extra delicious drink.
Easy
10 mins
Bright and refreshing mango smoothies are easy to make as a healthy breakfast or sweet snack. Here I share with you 5 unique mango smoothie recipes. There are versions with yogurt, oats, additional fresh fruits, and even almonds – give them all a try and discover your favorite and healthy mango smoothie recipe.
Easy
15 mins
Fruit punch is an easy to prepare drink made with fruit juices.
5 mins
shikanji recipe
Shikanji or shikanjvi is a cooling Indian drink made during summers
15 mins
Refreshing sweet lime juice or mosambi juice
Easy
20 mins
Refreshing, healthy and cooling Watermelon Juice to quench your thirst on a hot summery day. Learn to make three different versions of this healthy, all natural drink recipe.
Easy
15 mins
This easy recipe for making Musk Melon Juice (a.k.a. Cantaloupe Juice) for a sweet, refreshing warm-weather beverage that you're sure to love.
Easy
10 mins
Refreshing and energizing pear juice recipe.
Moderate
15 mins
This pineapple juice is a refreshing juice made from fresh pineapple and flavored with black salt and roasted cumin powder.
Easy
15 mins
Pomegranate juice recipe with step by step photos – one of the healthy juices made with pomegranate or anar.
Easy
10 mins
Mint Juice or Pudina Juice is a healthy and refreshing drink for summers made from fresh mint leaves and lemon.
South Indian Navratri Recipes
The food that is made in Southern parts of India is very different and makes use of all cereals, grains and vegetables that are prohibited in the North Indian fasting dishes without the addition of onion and garlic.
Listed below are some recipes that are made during navaratri festival in South India. All the recipes are without onion and garlic. But if you want to keep fast as observed in North India then you should not make these recipes as they are not actual fasting or vrat recipes.
Moderate
9 hrs 25 mins
Idli recipe with lots of tips and suggestions so that you can make soft and fluffy idli easily. This idli recipe post also details the method of making idli batter. It is a popular Indian breakfast which is filling as well as nutritious.
Moderate
9 hrs 30 mins
This is a plain dosa or sada dosa recipe which is a famous breakfast or snack both in India as well as outside India. Dosa is basically a healthy crepe made from ground rice and lentil batter which has been fermented.
9 hrs 30 mins
These Uddina Vada are crisp and tasty fried black grams donuts shaped fritters. A popular South Indian snack.
9 hrs 15 mins
Kotte kadubu are super soft aromatic idlis made in jackfruit leaves cup. In Konkani language, these idlis are known as hittu or khotte. Steaming in jackfruit leaves give the idlis the flavor and aroma of the jackfruit leaves.
Moderate
15 mins
Coconut chutney is a side dish that is served with idli, dosa, vada and pongal. This coconut chutney recipe is an easy and simple recipe versatile enough to go with any Indian snack.
Moderate
50 mins
Udupi Sambar is a spiced, slightly sweet and tangy sambar made with pigeon pea lentils, mixed vegetables, tamarind and freshly ground udupi sambar masala paste.
50 mins
Drumstick rasam is a tangy version of rasam made with drumsticks.
Easy
25 mins
Lemon Rice also known as chitranna or nimmakaya pulihora is a crunchy, flavorful and tangy rice dish that is easy to make and tastes so good.
1 hr
Paal payasam is a simple South Indian kheer made with rice and milk.
Easy
20 mins
This creamy seviyan kheer is a North Indian sweet made with wheat vermicelli, milk, sugar, dry fruits and flavored with spices. This incredibly easy recipe of semiya kheer comes together in 20 minutes and makes for an excellent dessert or sweet.
Easy
12 mins
Maladu or maa laddu (pottukadalai ladoo) is quick South Indian recipe of ladoo made from roasted gram or roasted chana dal. Maladu is made with just 3 main ingredients – roasted gram flour, ghee and sugar.
10 mins
banana rasayana
Banana rasayana recipe – a simple sweet dish made with ripe bananas and coconut milk.
Sundal Recipes
Sundals are legume or lentil dishes made during Ganesh Chaturthi or during the nine days of the Navratri festival in South India. They can be made from different legumes or lentils like black eyed peas, sweet corn, moong beans, bengal gram, peanuts. The method to prepare sundal is more or less the same with minor variations.
1 hr 35 mins
Chana dal sundal is tempered & sautéed dry dish made with cooked chana dal, few spices and fresh coconut. Chana dal sundal is also called as kadalai paruppu sundal where 'kadalai paruppu' is the tamil word for chana dal.
Moderate
35 mins
Sundal is a stir-fried dish made with different types of lentils, legumes even grains from the cuisine of Tamil Nadu. This Channa Sundal has white chickpeas, spices and a good dose of freshly grated coconut. This dish is vegan and quite healthy too.
Moderate
8 hrs 35 mins
Rajma sundal is a South Indian recipe of a no onion no garlic sautéed kidney beans with spices and coconut.
8 hrs 30 mins
This black chickpeas sundal is a South Indian recipe of a no onion no garlic stir fried black chickpeas with spices and coconut.
20 mins
Easy recipe of South Indian sweet corn sundal. sundals are South Indian based dishes made with a variety of legumes and is prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi or Navratri festival.
Easy
8 hrs 30 mins
Green peas sundal recipe is a dry preparation of green peas that are spiced, tempered along with fresh coconut.
This post from the archives (October 2013) has been republished and updated on 7 October 2020.
Wonderful collection of recipes,looks good and tastes superb .
Thank you.